Schoolcraft Township dates to 1831, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #76 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 234 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1922 on and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1830.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Schoolcraft Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Schoolcraft Township is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #76 of 701 in Michigan. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Schoolcraft Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Schoolcraft Township’s 254 sits above most of its state (97% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 235 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.1 points). Two sources give 1831.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Schoolcraft Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Euro-American settlement in the Schoolcraft area dates to 1828 (nine years before Michigan's admission to the Union), when Bazel Harrison moved his family from Ohio to present-day Prairie Ronde Township, becoming the first settler in the future Kalamazoo County. The village itself was established in 1831 by surveyor (and future statesman) Lucius Lyon, who had first visited the area as a surveyor under government contract in 1823. Recorded on October 5, 1831, Schoolcraft was the first town in Kalamazoo County. Lyon named the village for his friend Henry Schoolcraft. Schoolcraft was a key member of the 1820 Cass Expedition, organized by territorial governor Lewis Cass to explore the Michigan Territory; the expedition played an important role in encouraging settlement of the territory.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Schoolcraft Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1922Schoolcraft sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Schoolcraft Township.
People over time
Schoolcraft Township, census by census
Between 731 and 1,587 people in every census since 1870.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Schoolcraft Township’s Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1831, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Schoolcraft Township’s post office opened in 1830, and the census of 1870 counted 932 people here.
How does Schoolcraft Township rank for history?
Schoolcraft Township is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #76 of 701 in Michigan. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Schoolcraft Township?
Three places: the Dr. Nathan M. Thomas House (listed 1982), the Lee Paper Company Mill Complex (2016) and the Vicksburg Historic District (2022).
How old are the homes in Schoolcraft Township?
13% of Schoolcraft Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1983.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2025
2015
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